Twenty Days to Forget Death
by Dulce Somnium
Summary: Prince Noctis and his friends take up a bounty to locate a missing person, leading them to a ruin not marked on any of their maps. Within the inverted tower, hidden away in the depths of the dark earth, lives a monster unlike anything they'd ever fought before. Prompto finds kinship in a strange soul, showing her what it means to be alive before the unspeakable happens.


_Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction I ever really took the time to publish, so please feel free to leave thoughts and tips on improvement. I do not own any characters or concepts which belong to the Final Fantasy franchise and the only original works put into this fan fiction is my OC and the monster I created for use in the story line. The concept of the inverted tower, while done elsewhere before I'm sure, is in fact also my original work by definition of the designs and mechanisms I have written to belong to the tower. Thanks SO MUCH for reading and I hope you enjoy it. I wrote this for one person to read in specific, but if others like it then I'll be happy to chalk it up as a WIN! 3_

 _Enjoy!~_

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Day 1

"Man, this place is seriously creepy." Prompto remarked, voice quivering as he followed the prince further and further into the strange ruins. Markings on the walls unlike anything he'd ever seen before baffled even the most studious of the gang. Ignis couldn't make heads or tails of the odd inscriptions, their runic design leaving one's mind to wander. What's more, deep grooves were cut into the side of the one wall, a winding staircase leading down, down, down into darkness. To their left there was a stone railing which overlooked a spiraling hole, allowing sunlight to pour down until it could reach no further, yet onward beyond its glow the stairs would wind.

"You could say that again." The young prince agreed, Prompto sputtering,

"Ok...THIS PLACE IS CREEPY, CAN WE LEAVE?"

Noctis and Ignis turned to hush him, warning Prompto to keep his voice down. Wincing, the usually bouncy blonde would frown and apologize, looking over the railing at the vast downward path.

"Sorry...I just don't think being here is a good idea. I can feel it...something really bad is waiting at the bottom of this."

Gladiolus hated to admit it, but he was beginning to feel the same way. This architecture obviously predated anything they'd ever seen before, and what would be the purpose of building a plunging staircase that led so far down into the ground, not even their high powered flashlights could reach the bottom? "Noct, might want to listen to him. This place doesn't feel right." But Noctis couldn't just let a case of the heeby Jeebies keep him from revealing what was down there. Yes, it might be dangerous, but that's all the more reason to find out what was at the bottom. This place wasn't too far from civilization and it WAS his job as future king to ensure the safety of the people...if the rumors about this place were true, the thing that they may or may not find lurking in the darkness was something that needed to be contained. Simple.

"You read the bounty. If the sightings are legit, then we need to clear this place out."

"That poor girl…" Ignis sighed, recalling the grief stricken couple who'd lost their daughter only days ago to this enigmatic hole in the ground. It was settled. They were going to reach the bottom.

"There's a good chance we may not find her." Gladio mentioned the possibility of being too late, wanting to prepare his friends for the worst if it should happen. Prompto would hear nothing of it, shaking his head stubbornly. "We'll find her. We just have to! Can you imagine? Being lost in this place? Being taken by daemons and kept down _there_ for three days? It must be the worst feeling in the world."

That happy look Prompto kept plastered to his face faded, his own words causing a drop in his mood. He just hoped that they really would find the missing girl alive and well.

"Hey...I think I see something." Noct held up his hand as they all four stopped to look down the opening of the inverted spire, seeing a dimly glowing green light in the abyss.

"Maybe it's the girl?"

Gladiolus pondered out loud, though no one else seemed too sure about that.

"Let's hope." Ignis tried to lift their spirits as Glady took point, leading the others through the last bit of stairs and into the light. To their surprise it was water, brightly illuminated liquid in a circular pool no bigger than a bird bath. At the bottom of the pool appeared to be some sort of handle.

"That's weird." Gladiolus mused as Ignis pointed out the mechanism in the glimmering viridian fluid. "Certainly isn't your average fountain. Is that a lever beneath the water's surface?"

"Only one way to find out." Before the other's had the chance to stop him, Noctis approached the basin without so much as a second thought.

"Wait! Noct! You don't know what that stuff is!" Prompto's warning was seconds too late, Noctis's fingertips touching the luminescent water before plunging his whole hand within the cool liquid. It seemed fine, long enough for the prince to grasp the lever and tug on it. It wouldn't budge...but that was the least of his problems when he realized that his hand was going numb.

Skin wrinkled and turned grey, flesh ached and split to reveal the bones of his fingers.

"NOCT!" Ignis panicked and snatched his hand from the water, preparing to perform emergency medical aid when the most peculiar thing happened.

His hand was perfectly fine.

Both of them stood breathless, wide eyed on the prince's hand.

"Wh-What...just happened to me, Ignis?"

"I don't know...but I don't wager that it would be a wise idea to try that again."

"No kidding." Gladio breathed out a sigh of relief. For a second there it looked like they would have to hightail it out of there to save their own skin. Then again, they might still have to if this place was as dangerous as it seemed.

"Guys…"

Prompto tried to get his friend's attention, but they seemed too preoccupied with what just happened to their beloved prince to notice that they weren't alone. Glinting green eyes revealed themselves from the shadows, deep growling rumbling the stone walls of the chamber and causing the glowing water to ripple with sound vibrations. The others finally turned around to see what Prompto had been trying to warn them about, Gladiolus drawing his sword and stepping between the beast and his friends as Prompto made a break for the rear of their formation. The growling soon transformed into a bellowing roar, causing the entire chamber to quake from the sheer power of the creature's mighty howl.

"What the hell is that?!" Noctis yelled as he summoned a lance, Ignis and Prompto soon arming themselves as well.

"Something that isn't going to let us leave this place without a fight!" Ignis brandished his blades, looking for any sign of the monster's physicality. The terrible beast emerged from the darkness and into the light of the glimmering fountain. It was feline in form, a massive lion like monster with black feathers for a mane, it's pelt red like dried blood and oozing some unknown, foul smelling substance. It possessed claws like scythe blades and fangs as long as broad swords, bony wings cramped up against it's back from lack of space to unfurl them.

"It's huge!" Prompto cried as the beast roared once more, digging it's claws into the flooring and busting the stones beneath it's feet with ease.

"Look out!"

The sound of Gladio's voice was all the warning they had before the monster lunged towards them, causing the four friends to scatter like mice. The festering lion smashed into the wall behind where they once stood, shaking the entire ruin. Stone pieces of crumbling railing fell from the higher levels, nearly hitting Ignis over the head had Noctis not pulled him out of the way in time.

"My sincere thanks, Noct."

"Yeah, not the time for formalities!" The prince answered, watching the monster regain it's composure.

Prompto didn't have time to think. It was in the way of their escape and unless it turned around to try and pounce on his friends again, they weren't going to budge it by just standing there! He aimed his pistols towards its feathered head, firing off multiple shots, one striking the beast in the eye and sending it into a panic.

"Good shot Prompto!" Gladiolus cheered and hefted his sword up over his shoulder.

"Quick! Everyone make for the stairs while it's raging! We might stand a chance of escaping!" Ignis didn't have to yell it a second time. The four, outmatched and overpowered, bolted for the exit while the monstrous dweller of the deep yowled in pain. That was when something caught Prompto's eye...where the beast had first appeared, deep within the shadows of whatever tunnel it crawled from, there was a cage, or more so a jailed cell. He could see it clearly with the daemon out of the way, a set of ancient iron bars which held a young woman prisoner! She was sitting on the ground with her hands on the bars, head slumped down and long rose gold hair draped over her face in dirty, oily strands. "GUYS! THE MISSING GIRL!" Prompto called over to his friends who were already at the base of the steps, all turning in alarm when they realized that the brave gunner was about to risk being caught between the beast and the only exit there was.

"PROMPTO!" Noctis yelled after him, but he was dead set on freeing the girl.

"COVER ME!" He called back as he slid to a stop at the bars, putting his hands over her's and trying to get the battered girl to answer him. Her skin was cold as ice. "Hey! Are you alright? I'm going to get you out of here, don't you worry!"

But she remained silent, head down.

The others charged into action, all swarming the beast while it was still staggered. They fought valiantly and diligently, refusing to let it regain its senses before Prompto was ready to leave.

"Hey! Listen, I can get you out of here, but you have to get up first! I'm here to help you."

Something he said must have stirred the fighting spirit of the captive, because her head lifted and golden hazel eyes locked onto his. Whatever happened to the girl while she was down there must have shaken her up pretty badly. She was pale as the dead and filthy, her clothing just as tattered. The young woman had a nearly blank facial expression, devoid of emotion except for one...confusion. Prompto realized that they were in a bad situation, but yelling at the girl wasn't going to help anything. He trusted his friends to handle the monster. He had to do his job, so he lowered his voice as much as he could without it being drowned out by the battle behind him, speaking in a comforting tone.

"It's going to be ok. I won't leave you here. I promise. Can you stand?" He stood up straight, trying to find some way to pry the gate open when her smooth voice shocked him with an unexpected phrase,

"I belong here."

"Don't say that! No one belongs in a place like this!"

"But…"Her answer was interrupted by Gladiolus's gruff voice.

"Hurry it the hell up over there, Prompto!"

"Stand back! I'm going to shoot the lock!" He warned the girl to step away from the bars, to which she finally listened and moved away from the gate.

PANG!

The rusted lock broke open with the force of the bullet lodging into it's inner workings, the door creaking open. The sound of it's shrill groaning grabbed the attention of the feline menace, it's one good eye widening before rampaging towards Prompto and the girl.

"GET OUT OF THERE, PROMPTO!" Noctis cried, he and the others making a break for the stairs. The prince turned last minute, flinging magic at the back of the beast and lighting the tuft of fur on the end of it's tail on fire, earning only seconds for his friend to escape if he could manage it.

"Come on! We have to go!" Prompto took the hand of the girl without any further allowance for hesitation, pulling her from the cell and running past the raging abaddon. She followed him to his friends, wobbly on her legs before he holstered his pistols and hoisted her up onto his back. There was no way she could keep up with them on her own and now was the time to run with everything they had!

"Thanks!" Grateful that his friends didn't leave him behind, now more so than ever, Prompto pushed himself with the extra weight on his back to keep up with the others.

Ignis allowed his daggers to fade from his hands, saying, "We wouldn't have left you behind."

"Is it following?!" Noctis asked, to which Gladio hurriedly responded, "Just keep running!"

"It's climbing after us, using the stair well as a means to scale the tower!" Ignis announced grimly, rushing even harder once he noticed that their vicious enemy was climbing the stairs like a ladder, one paw after the other pulling itself up several stories at a time.

"Aaaah GREAT!" Gladiolus growled, Ignis cutting off the big guy's complaint. "Yes, but that leaves us an advantage!"

"Like what?!" He argued back, not seeing the tactician's point. Ignis knew the others wouldn't be so quick to pick up on his idea, so he explained it to them while precious time flew by and the sound of claws breaking into the stone underneath them prompted the boys to run harder. "When the creature's paw grasps onto the stairs nearby, break it's claws!"

Prompto panted from the extra pounds, but the plan was solid enough to inspire his enthusiasm. He said, "Without claws to grab onto the walls-"

"Kitty can't climb." Gladio interjected.

It took no time at all for the monster to catch up to them, claws latching onto the stairs, rattling the structure so badly that Ignis nearly toppled backwards had he not grabbed onto the wall, steadying Prompto and the girl with his free hand.

"Gladio, let's do it!" Noctis commanded as he summoned his next weapon. With one heavy swing of his great sword, the claws of the beast's right paw shattered, Gladio maming the other paw simultaneously. Their ability to work in unison showed clearly, boosting morale for the whole gang.

"Yeah! That's how it's done!" Gladiolus pumped himself up after a successful attack, mock punching Noctis on the shoulder.

"Bad kitty! No climbing on the furniture!" Prompto beamed a smile as they all cheered excitedly. Their chances were beginning to look good. The monster struggled for its grasp on the stairs before slipping off the edge, plummeting down the shaft of the underground tower before hitting the bottom with a thundering crash. "No time to celebrate, that thing might still be a threat." Ignis, ever the voice of reason, took point as they finished their mad run for daylight's safety. A daemon wouldn't come into the light, not even one as pissed as the great cat that nearly killed them all. It felt like they had been running for an eternity, the roaring ever present to remind them of the nightmare beneath them.

"Look! I see light! We're almost there!" Prompto exclaimed with jubilance, looking back over his shoulder to the girl he was carrying, trying to give her some reason to feel hope again by telling her, "Can you see it? We're almost to the top!"

She didn't seem as exuberant as Prompto was, but who could blame her. Poor thing was probably so tired and traumatized that she wouldn't even know how to feel. It didn't matter to the man hoisting her up the stairs on his back. He could see it in her eyes when he first caught sight of them. The girl was utterly hopeless, blank, holding no faith in the future...she needed something to believe in, and he wouldn't stop trying to spark that life back into her heart. She needed more than just a rescue from that dungeon. She needed to be saved from the monsters that couldn't be left behind too.

With each step further into the warmth of day, the terrors of the deep seemed to fade like a bad dream, everyone giving their thanks to the light as soon as their feet hit grass and soil. The girl's head perked up at the change in scenery, looking about the forest as if she were seeing it for the first time. Birds chirped in the limbs overhead, a river ran down the sloped hill on which the old pine wood was perched, wind blowing beneath the canopy of fir branches. It was beautiful. No wonder so many outdoors enthusiasts came there, despite the dangers of doing so. The serenity wouldn't last long, a familiar rumbling shaking the ground of the forest. "We're not out of the woods just yet! Hide!" Ignis braced himself, pushing his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose when the shaking nearly knocked them off of his face. Gladiolus signaled for everyone to follow him. Quietly, they ducked beneath a leaning wall and tucked themselves away behind a downed log, concealing them from sight. Like a deadly storm rising from the center of the earth, birthed of hellfire and darkness, the guardian of the inverted tower burst forth from its lair and took flight on wings like that of dragons. It's cry shook the woods, every living thing rushing for reprieve from it's anger. Prompto and the girl looked out at the monster from a crack between the fallen tree and the tilted wall, his blue eyes watching on in horror and awe. Not one of them dared to make a move as the hellish creature howled in the light, burning it's already marred flesh before it sunk down into shadows and ashes. Soon it's presence would fade away entirely, leaving the forest once again peaceful.

"I-Is it safe?" Noctis wondered out loud, Glady answering, "I'll check it out."

Always willing to take the first step into danger, the muscled up king's shield meandered free of his hiding place. Into the open he crouched, walking hunched over in case the coast wasn't as clear as his gut feelings told him it was. Every second waiting felt like forever, until he stood to his full, rather impressive height and called, "It's safe. The beast must have ran scared."

"More likely it was injured by the light." Ignis mentioned, and then a smaller voice grabbed their attentions.

"He's hurt...but not for long. He won't forgive this defeat."

Noctis was surprised to hear her speaking like she knew the beast, but the young woman was down there with it the longest. If anyone would know about the monster's habits, it would be her.

"Then let's put some distance between us and this place. By the time it's ready to show itself again, we won't be anywhere near here." Noct said, sure she'd want to hear that they planned on leaving as soon as possible.

She didn't seem so glad however.

Prompto saw this and immediately began trying to comfort her. His heart hurt so bad everytime he saw that look of resignation in her eyes. He didn't know her very well, but he'd seen it before. It was like she didn't think she could leave that place, like she really was supposed to be there. "Hey hey, cheer up! It's all ok now. We're going to take you home."

"Home?" The girl tilted her head slightly, allowing the blonde to take her hands and lead her from the cramped hiding place. "Yeah! Home! Your family is worried sick. We came to find you when they put out a bounty for the monster that chased us and kidnapped you...it's a shame we can't kill it and stop it from ever doing this again, but saving you was more important than anything today! I know it's tough now, but let it sink in. You're free. You're safe with us and you'll be safe with your family when we get you back to the outpost!" His words were meant to be so uplifting, yet all she seemed to feel was more confusion. The girl kept quiet on the matter, her expression changing as she realized the situation. "The guardian will not let me leave. He'll follow us, even after it's wounds heal. It won't ever stop…"

"Then we'll stop it." Gladio chimed in, sick of all this hopeless talk. They made it, now it was time to get back to the regalia and make the drive to civilization.

The prince turned back to his friends after looking around for himself, glancing over the girl for the first time. She was a mess. Her hair was filthy, her dress which must have been white at some point was grey and brown with the dust and grime of the dungeon, and her skin was covered in dried on dirt. Despite that, she seemed to be a very beautiful young woman. She was a bit too skinny in his opinion, like she hadn't eaten right in a long time, but she had a nice face from what he could see behind the dirt and tangled hair. Speaking of hair, her's was a pinkish blonde, rosy gold color, golden hazel eyes contrasting well. And her name...it occurred to him that they hadn't been introduced. "What is your name?"

The girl crooked her chin in his direction, furrowing her eyebrows. "My name?" She paused as if not knowing what to say, finally giving them a name to call her by. "Theda...my name is Theda."

Not much of a talker. Even Glady wasn't so bad with conversation. Noctis just smiled though and tried to make her feel welcomed, offering his name as well. "My name is Noctis, and this is Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto. We'll be escorting you back to your family. You can trust us." The fact of the matter was, she didn't really need to be told to trust them. They pulled her out of the dark and into light she never thought she'd see. Warm, lively, bright light.

"Come on, let's get moving. It'll be getting dark in a few hours and we need to reach the outpost." Ignis got the gang moving, leading them down the winding path and through the trees to the road where their luxurious car was parked. Theda's eyes went wide at the look of it. Prompto laughed when he noticed her interest. She probably never saw a car like the regalia before if she lived near this rural part of Duscae. He came up beside her and tapped her shoulder gently, saying, "I know she's a sight! Not many cars like her exist outside of the crown city!"

"Less gawking, more driving." Gladio's rough voice urged them to get in the car, Prompto nervously agreeing. "Right! Let's not stand around and wait for that thing to crawl back outta the ground. After you, Theda." He reached for the backseat door, opening it so Theda could crawl in and rest her wobbly legs. She did so silently, sliding into the backseat next to Gladiolus and soon beside Prompto, much to the disgruntlement of the prince.

"Sooo is this your new spot now or…?"

"Oh relax Noct! You can take my seat up front! I want to make sure Theda is alright back here. One sharp turn and Glady might squish her." He used humor to divert the attention from his determination to stick by the girl's side, which made Gladio a bit sore as well.

"How about we make plenty of room for Theda and cram you in the trunk."

"Hey hey! I was just kidding big guy! Seriously, don't make me ride in the trunk, please?" Prompto nervously tried to sooth the building rage of a beast almost as scary as the guardian of the ruins. Between the small squabble, Theda sat with her hands on her legs, eyes squinting in the light of day before turning to the laughing gunner beside her, saying,

"Thank you Prompto...for taking me away from there. Thank you, all of you."

The others nodded acknowledgment and told her that she didn't need to thank them, that no one deserved to be trapped down there. Prompto just smiled and watched Thedas face as Ignis began to explain who they were in greater detail, memorizing the curvature of her facial profile. Even as unkempt as she was right then, something about the girl was just breath takingly beautiful. It wasn't the first time someone had taken his breath away, but damn if she wasn't just as dainty as a doll. She seemed to be opening up to them a bit, hopefully beginning to feel like everything would be alright again. Even if that daemon came back for her, he'd steal her again and again for as many times as he had to. Prompto didn't ever want to see that dead look in her eyes ever again.

They rode on into the late hours of the evening, eventually reaching their destination to find that Theda's family had left the outpost to put up more bounties for the beast in other locations. The proprietor of the local general store said they'd return come morning, that it'd be best to stay in the RV parked outside rather than attempt to follow them so close to nightfall. After consulting his friends briefly, prince Noctis went ahead and paid for the camper. They needed to rest after what they'd all been through, especially Theda. Now she would have a chance to clean herself up before she was reunited with her family.

"I'm all gross...and sticky…" Noctis complained as they approached the RV, a certain someone excitedly cheering, "Yay! Bath time!"


End file.
